


If We Had Hearts

by Briry18



Series: The "What If" Series [4]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Genderbending, F/M, Female Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Female Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Fluff and Angst, Genderswap, Love Triangles, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2020-12-31 19:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21151244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briry18/pseuds/Briry18
Summary: Fem-Sora AU:  After Sora had selflessly sacrificed herself for Kairi and became a heartless, a nobody was created. Solitary, wandering, and not sure how where to go, Sora's Nobody walked the streets of Twilight Town only to be found by the Leader of Organization XIII. He gave her a purpose, he gave her a name: Roxas.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic combines the Chain of Memories timeline with the 358/2 days timeline, so you will see a bit of Sora and Riku meshed in here for plot purposes. Also I took some liberties with Xion's character that may end up a bit confusing and I apologize in advance. Last but not least Luxiana is the genderswapped Marluxia.

~Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I...~

~I need more affection than you know…~

Emptiness… that's the best way she could describe herself. She was just empty. She had no memories, no connections, and no emotions. She wasn't sure what all those things even were. Eyes clouded over blue, blonde hair that rivered down her back in curly spikes the empty girl watched the people walk around her, full of life and light and she in essence became their shadow, lingering in the dark, observing, and staying distant.

She saw merchants selling stock, saw workers hefting items over shoulders or onto carts. She saw kids her own age running through the wide open streets of the square, dodging the little trolly that circled around. Her feet felt heavy as she began to walk, aimlessly with no real direction in mind she just walked and walked. Something was stirring in the air, something was pulling at her but she didn't know what.

She heard the buzz of the square die out as she walked through the hole in the wall and into a forest of green trees. The scent of air was fresher here… sweet with nature, and flowers. The wind felt cool and calm against her cheeks. Still she walked not really knowing where to go. She found herself standing in front of a large mansion, eyes wide and dazed she took in the grand structure. It seemed abandoned, and yet so well preserved.

She felt the darkness, felt the presence of them pile up around her. She turned and saw the dark creatures surround her. What were these shadows? One leapt up, and her body reacted before she could comprehend what to do. Her hand flew up and a shimmer of silvery light blocked the attack.

The presence of the keyblade was so familiar to her. The weight, the power, the grip of the handle. She could see herself using it… could see how to destroy the dark. She slice and beat back the dark creatures, calculating and almost cold. Fatigue waned her body and she slumped to the ground once the foes had disappeared.

She lay on the ground a moment, wondering what this fluttering sensation in her chest was. She didn't recognize it as surprise or fear. She wasn't sure how to respond to it. The keyblade had vanished from her grip the moment the threat was gone, but she knew she could call upon it again when the need arose.

Images flashed in her mind. Images of many battles like the one she'd just been in. Images of the shadows in various shapes and sizes. Images of a figure much like her own wielding the keyblade and vanquishing them, sending free the light. Was she remembering who she was? Who was she? Where had she come from? What was she doing here?

"You seek answers." A voice disturbed her thoughts. Her eyes wandered and she stood to watch a portal of darkness open in front of her and a figure stepped out. He was neither human nor shadow, but a disturbing mix of both. He was tall and cloaked, but had the same scent of darkness the shadows had.

"You seek answers…" He repeated to her. His face shrouded by the dark cloak. She stared at him blankly. Her body reacted before she could understand. Her head nodded forward in an agreeing motion. He flashed his hand out, the name Sora spreading across and she narrowed her eyes on it. Was this who she was?

"You feel nothing. Nothing is real… but I can give you purpose."

Was that true? She wondered and watched the letters spiral now. They spun and they spun mixing their order til the stranger thrust his hand out again. A large X speared in the middle now creating her identity.

"Roxas…"

"That is right… the new you."

Roxas… finally something she could cling onto. Something she could comprehend. Her name was Roxas. The dark man turned his head as another stepped through the dark portal.

"Ah, Axel… good timing. I'd like you to meet our newest member. Number 13 Roxas, the Key of Destiny."

"Nice to meetcha," Axel offered casually his hood discarded and his hand waving friendly like. When he got no response he let out a low whistle. "Not much of a talker is she?"

"She's still new, not yet established in the world. We'll have to guide her carefully."

"If she's so new then why did you bring her aboard?"

"Because she is the nobody of the keyblade's chosen one."

"Are you serious?" His eyes whirled onto the girl again. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to their conversation and was just staring at her own hands as if wondering what they were capable of.

"I got a preview of her power just moments ago. She's just what we need to help us collect the hearts. Make her feel welcomed. Show her around, and bring her back so we can introduce her to the rest of the council." Xemnas turned around and Roxas stepped behind him as if to follow but Axel rest a hand on her shoulder.

"Easy there, shortie. You're coming with me for now." He wraps an arm around her and guided her back towards town. "Let me show you the ropes. I'm Axel, by the way."

"Axel…" She murmured it softly her big blue eyes staring soft and somber. The look had something in Axel's stomach tightening and he fidgeted a bit beside her at the discomfort.

"That's right… got it memorized?"

Her face remained soft and puzzled. Axel gave a sigh and ruffled her hair trying to get her expression to change some. Man the newbies were always like this, fresh from the cut of their heart, and numb to all emotions. Eventually memories slip in, and the form takes on the personality… but Axel knew that these first few days were gonna be rough.

"Okay so Xemnas wants me to show you the ropes, but I imagine that'll take only about ten minutes. So why don't I show you something even better?" He took her by the hand and guided her through the town. Roxas paused momentarily to glance back at some kids eating blue ice cream.

Axel caught the look, smiled. 

"Sorry I don't have any munny to pay for Sea Salt ice cream… next time, I promise." He pulled her closer in by the shoulder. Roxas made a little sound of surprise by the motion and tensed up. His brow raised and he glanced down to see the slightest of blushes on her cheeks. Ah, so there WAS something in there… he'd have to poke at it more later.

He took her up to the clock tower, those lifeless blue eyes suddenly filling with light and staring out into the setting sun. He watched her rub a hand over her chest as if to steady the heart that wasn't there.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

She nodded and walked forward. Axel had to yank her back from the edge as she almost toppled forward.

"Easy, you can't walk on air, Roxas. Here, sit." He moved himself to sit on the edge then sat her down beside him. "Enjoy the view. It's best from afar like this anyway. The closer you get to it the less beautiful it becomes."

Those eyes turn up towards him again. What did it say about a nobody that felt stirring emotions from such doll eyes?

"Um… After we sit for a bit, I'll tell you about the organization. We'll go back to headquarters so you can get your coat and room. Okay Roxas?"

"Roxas… Number 13…"

"That's right." He leaned in and flicked a finger down her nose causing those cheeks to flush again. "Roxas."

~Day 7~

For those first few days the name Roxas, and the number thirteen were all she had to hold onto. With no real memories of who she was or where she'd come from she was left at the mercy of Organization 13. She became acquainted to the names and faces of all her counterparts, but as to who they really were or what they were trying to do she had no idea.

Axel was the only one who really gave her any notice outside of missions. He'd ruffle her hair, send her thumbs up and winks before going out on missions. He came back once to take her back to the tower and give her the ice cream she'd been promised… but that had been her second day and she couldn't even remember the taste or color of the ice cream.

She did her best acquainting herself with everything. The castle she lived in was big and she often got lost. While others went on missions she made herself walk the castle to memorize where everything was. As she walked, in her head she went over and over the names and faces of the other organization members.

Number 1, The Superior, Xemnas

Number 2, Xigbar

Number 3, Xaldin

Number 4, Vexen

Number 5, Lexaeus

Number 6, Zexion

Number 7, Saix

Number 8… Axel.

She lingered over that name a bit wondering why her face got warm every time she thought of him or was close by him. She'd have to ask the next chance she got. Shaking her head she continued her steps down the hall murmuring the names now.

Number 9, Demyx

Number 10, Luxord

Number 11, Luxiana

Number 12, Larxene

Number 13…

"Roxas!"

Her feet stopped in the hall and her eyes lifted up to see Axel running up and waving a hand in greeting.

"Glad I found you. We've got a meeting. Apparently there's yet another member joining the ranks. Come on." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and had her cheeks going hot again.

Today, on her seventh day, she was no longer the newest member. As Roxas sat on her perch in the audience chamber, she found herself staring down at yet another person that would join the organization... Number XIV, Xion. A new number a new name, and a new face for her to memorize.

The hood was pulled up so Roxas couldn't see the kid's face, but just below the shroud she could see lips that smiled in her direction. Surprise came over her face as something clicked in her mind… a brief flash of another smile, another person… but it was gone before could register who it was or where she'd seen it before.

~Day 8~

After the meeting had adjourned Roxas had gone straight back to her room to sleep. It was made aware that she would be starting her first mission come morning and it left her a bit shaken. She wasn't entirely sure what to do or what was going on inside her, something just felt dislodged. Thankfully sleep overtook her and she forgot to be nervous when morning came.

She was grateful it was Axel who'd be leading her through the first mission. Out of all the organization members he was the most patient with her, teaching her, helping her understand everything that was going on.

Saix was in charge of handing out missions, so the two of them stood in front of Saix. The basics of the mission was to get her feet wet with a little treasure hunt mission. She was to get out on the town, learn to search and use her body to scout out treasure and valuables. An easy task, but one that she had to go through.

"Teach her well, Axel." Saix told him with his calm and unamused expression.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure she makes the grade." Axel assured and glanced over to see Roxas staring at the newcomer. The kid was silently staring, just watching what all was taking place. "What is it?" Axel asked leaning down beside her ear. "You worried about the new kid?"

"Mmm" Roxas gave a nod. She wasn't sure what she felt about the newcomer… but worried seemed to fit. She'd been in their shoes only days before, and wondered if they were having the same thoughts as she.

"What was that name again?" Axel asked Saix.

"Number 14, Xion."

"Xion…" Roxas spoke quietly. The eyes were blue under the hood… she noted. Eyes that stared straight into her.

"You have it memorized, Roxas?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah? How about my name?" Axel continued to poke. It surprised her a lil that she had an urge to smile.

"Axel."

"And what about our boss' name?"

"Xemnas."

"No way you can forget that, right?" Axel assured and pat her shoulder. He stroked it and pulled her close to him so they could step through the dark portal together.

It didn't take long for her to get the hang of wandering. She enjoyed looking at the town, slipping in and out like a shadow to just watch what all was going on, and finding little hidden treasures. She jumped and climbed and felt an ease with it… and when they finally found the treasure box she opened it and admired what was inside.

"Mission Complete." Axel said with a smile and helped her back to her feet. "Time for a reward."

"A reward?" Roxas blinked in confusion. "Aren't we supposed to go back?"

"Nah, our job's done. Let's go enjoy our little victory. I'll buy you some ice cream."

"Ice Cream…" Yes, she wanted that. She wanted to remember the sight, the smell, the flavor of it and hoped he would buy it more often so she could memorize all those things. So he took her up onto the clock tower, she sat in her normal spot admiring the view and took the blue bar he handed her.

"The icing on the cake." Axel said grinning at her. "You remember what this ice cream is called?"

No, she didn't… and why that made her feel bad she didn't understand.

"It's um…"

"Sea Salt Ice Cream. I already told you before. Get it memorized." Axel pointed to his temple with a smirk.

Roxas nodded and bit into it. Her eyes widened at the chill and salty sweet flavor.

"It's salty… but sweet."

Axel couldn't help himself. He laughed.

"Roxas, you said the exact same thing the other day."

"I did…" Her eyes looked at him wide and confused. "I don't remember."

"So what has it been, a week since you joined the organization?" Axel asked taking a bite out of his own ice cream.

"I guess it has." She nibbled on the ice cream then let it rest in her hands as she stared down at the town her mind trying to collect all the wandering thoughts.

"You guess, c'mon you got to remember that much at least." He pat her shoulder. "Look at you now, here in the field working for the organization, right?"

"For the organization?" That distinction triggered something and she turned her eyes to his face. He was still looking out at the sun his bar gripped in one hand over his lap.

"You might even say..." He said turning to use his free hand to brush back a strand of blonde hair that fell in her face. "...that this is where it all really begins for you."

"Where it all begins…" She repeated slowly, letting those words sink in. She still wasn't sure what he meant by her working for the organization, or what these missions and field work was for… but what she did know is that this place he'd shared with her, the ice cream he bought her… she'd memorize every piece of it, and treasure it

~In you and I, there's a new land… My Sanctuary, My Sanctuary.~


	2. The Heartless Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas learns more about the organization and what her place in it is.

My Sanctuary… Where fears and lies melt away… Music inside.

~ Day 10~

The room she'd been given was stark white, and looked out at the square of dark city buildings where she knew the heartless roamed freely. She wasn't sure what kept them from coming inside the castle, but Saix and the other organization members assured her that the Superior would never allow a breach.

Heartless… The creatures that had come after her in Twilight Town finally had a name. Luxiana, who had been put in charge of her the day before, had explained to her that heartless were creatures that were manifested in the darkness, whether by nature or design. A pureblood heartless were hearts that succumbed to darkness on their own and usually resembled something of a shadow, Emblemed Heartless had been created by a machine and took shape of creatures of the world they inhabited.

Her keyblade was the proper weapon to destroy them. With her weapon the hearts could be freed and collected for the purpose the organization had in store for them. Kingdom Hearts. Roxas still wasn't sure what that was or what even a heart was. She'd have to ask Axel, if anyone could tell her he could. Nevertheless she'd finally found her purpose, and she would do her job, she would do her job well.

The stink and sweat of the day was proof of that. The smell of her clothes made her nose wrinkle and she unzipped the coat letting it fall to the floor before stepping into the bathroom connected to her room. She eyed the shower carefully trying to remember the steps Larxene had shown her and shuddered a bit remembering the shock the blonde nymph had given her the moment her fingers touched the water.

This time however she was alone, and when she touched the water she felt the heat, and smooth ripple of water against fingers. She stepped in letting the water beat against her and sighed. Something tight inside her released like a lock and she collapsed into the stall just staring blankly up as the water pelted on her.

Her mind wandered to her lesson earlier that day. Her guide for today had been Zexion, and he'd done his best to explain that every member of Organization 13 was a nobody. Nobodies lack hearts, and therefore are incomplete. With the help of Kingdom Hearts they could become whole and complete.

"Nobodies don't exist…" she muttered to herself, the water soothing and softening her muscles, making her relax and slump onto the tile. Roxas wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but once awake she no longer felt the hot water. Instead she felt the cool chill of air. Someone was calling her name, and as she blinked open her eyes Axel's familiar face came into view. He had a look in his eyes she didn't recognize, one of concern and then relief as she stirred

"Thank goodness, for a minute I thought I'd have to get Saix or Vexen in here. That wouldn't have been pleasant." He tucked the towel tighter around her as she shuddered and lifted her up. "Hold on, I've got you."

"Axel… what are you doing?" Roxas' tone was sleepy and confused, but she recognized neither feeling, nor did she sense Axel's embarrassment.

"I'm getting you to bed, you can't fall asleep in the shower, Roxas, or you'll drown."

"Drown...oh… the water." She glanced back sleepily at the shower. "How did you know I was in there?"

"I knocked on your door to check up on you, but you weren't there, and I heard the water going. I called out but you didn't answer, so I walked in and… well… found you passed out on the shower floor."

"I didn't even know I fell asleep. The water was warm, and it was… nice. I liked it and I wanted to stay like that."

"You gotta be careful, a nice hot shower is fine but don't get carried away. Five minutes tops for a shower, relax, wash off the ick then get out. Otherwise like I said you're liable to drown." He set her on the bed and handed her her cloak. Roxas eyed it with a frown and just lay down on the bed in only a towel.

"Hey, come on get dressed. You're gonna catch a cold if you lay in bed damp and naked." Red tinted Axel's cheeks.

"I like being naked, that cloak is heavy, and…" she tried to think of the world but failed to comprehend what she wanted to express.

"Uncomfortable?" Axel offered and sat on the side of the bed. "I know, it's a little weird but you can't just lay naked. What if someone sees you?"

"So?" She rolled onto her back, those sleepy blue eyes looking up soft and yet somehow intensely at him. "You're seeing me now, aren't you? It doesn't bother me."

Axel's fingers tightened to fists and he rolled over top of her, their faces getting so close Roxas could taste his breath.

"It should bother you. I'm a guy, you're a girl. I shouldn't have to spell it out for you."

"We're nobodies, Axel. Things like sex, attraction, and lust don't apply to us. Zexion told me that."

Bullshit, Axel thought with a frown. That's such bullshit. He clenched his fists in her hair, the fresh scent of her shower stirring something in his gut. He may be a nobody but he remembered what attraction felt like, and it hit him hard in the gut.

"Want a bet?"

He nearly closed the gap, his mouth just brushing the bottom lip when a knock on the door had him jumping up as if he'd been splashed with cold water.

"Axel, if you're in there, Xemnas wants you and Larxene to go run a quick errand for him." Saix's voice made him grunt and he sat straddling Roxas on the bed his eyes hard and his breathing still rapid.

"Yeah, yeah, i'm going." He looked down at Roxas who hadn't moved an inch, but he saw her face had gone flush and her eyes a little wide. "We're not done here, not by a long shot." He jumped off her and strolled out the door. "Put some clothes on Roxie, don't be an open target."

Roxas watched him leave before sitting up in bed. She touched her face which had warmed from the intimacy, and her own breath was punching out. There was this twisting sensation in her gut and a tickling along her skin that made her shiver.

"We of the organization were born without hearts." She spoke to herself, repeating Zexion's lesson in her mind again. Her eyelashes fluttered and she touched her lips and chest. "So...if we don't have hearts… does that really mean we don't exist?" Her eyes lowered and despite knowing she couldn't feel and shouldn't be bothered by it… Roxas tugged on the cloak and laid down to sleep.

~Days 11 thru 14~

Over the next couple of days Roxas learned a great deal about her purpose with the organization. It helped to have missions to concentrate on everyday, and take things a step at a time. She found her own strengths and realized her weaknesses. She would travel back and forth between worlds, using portals of darkness that they as organization members could use to break through the roads that were blocked from world to world.

She hadn't really seen or heard from Axel because he'd been on his own missions. Roxas wondered why she was a bit disappointed in that, or why she missed seeing him. The last time they'd spoken he'd made her…

… made her what, exactly? She couldn't quite describe it. It was a new sensation, one she was sure a nobody shouldn't be able to express but it was there, clawing its way through to her belly and out of every pore in her body in a terrible heat.

She stepped out of the darkness portal and into Twilight Town… the sight of Axel made her eyes widen and without thinking she ran straight to him and grabbed the back of his cloak. His head turned and he flashed a smile.

"Hey, I was hoping I'd see you today." He turned and took the hand she'd grabbed hold of. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes." She said honestly catching him a bit off guard. He dropped her hand and scratched his cheek laughing.

"Blunt, aren't you." He glanced over as three kids ran past them laughing and shoting at each other. Roxas' eyes followed them, her lips pursed and eyes wide and taking in every movement.

"Who were they?"

"Probably just some kids who live here."

"Does everyone act that way?" She turned those wide blue eyes up at Axel.

"Like what?"

"You know, chasing each other, making all that noise." She turned her glance back to where the kids had disappeared down the street.

"Well yeah, if they have hearts, I suppose that's what they do." Axel replied a bit weirded out by the conversation.

"Hearts…" Roxas' expression turned sour. Axel eyed her and his lips twitched a bit. She looked pissed off.

"C'mon, let's get some ice cream." Axel suggested wanting to lighten her mood.

"Why?" She turned that cool blue gaze on him now.

"Why? Uh, well, cuz… cuz we're friends."

"Friends?" Her brow rose in confusion. "What's that?"

"Friends, eat ice cream together, and laugh and talk about stupid stuff… like those kids we just saw." He watched her gaze soften and widen and glance back at the direction of the downtown noise.

"Friends… huh." Roxas whispered and felt her lips curve a lil. She felt Axel take her hand and pull her along the street. He bought them a couple of ice cream bars and they took their usual spot on the clock tower. Below them the kids from before played and ran around, and the cry of the gulls and ocean echoed around them creating a soothing music to the ears.

Roxas pondered over everything she was experiencing, including the taste of the salty sweet ice cream on her tongue, and the warmth of Axel's body brushed up right next to her. His free hand still touched hers, his fingers drawing lazy circles over the back of her hand in a move neither of them gave much thought to. It just seemed… right.

"Hey Roxas…" Axel spoke up licking ice cream from his lips. "After your next mission, let's meet up for ice cream again." He waited til her gaze met his before continuing. "No fun just going back and forth between the castle and work, right?"

"Hmmm, yeah, right….we're friends, huh?" Roxas smiled softly and stared out at the sunset. It's warmth, and Axel's spread around her and she closed her eyes enjoying the sensation of it. She took a deep breath before biting down into her ice cream again. She felt Axel's fingers lock with hers and for the first time since before she could remember… Roxas was content.

~Days 15 Thru 22~

Axel kept an eye on Roxas when he could. She set out on missions every day, going through them easily, collecting hearts as she was purposed to do. He kept his promise and met up after every mission to eat ice cream and just talk. She'd ask questions, mostly about the world around them… or she'd just sit and contently listen to him as he griped about his own work.

She'd become a real true companion, and the friend he'd said they were. Still he couldn't get the image of her laying half naked in bed underneath him out of his mind. He'd done his best to just ignore the twists and tingles but something about her… the way she looked, the way she smelled, it all seemed familiar and intriguing. He flirt with her… but she was still a novice in that particular game. Most of the time she gave him a blank stare, or just a small smile of amusement to his compliments or teases.

He wondered what he'd have to do, to get her to respond to him a little better. Would he have to coach everything? Perhaps so… and even then would she be open to it?

He turned the various ideas over and over in his head before walking up to Saix after his latest mission. Marluxia and Larxene had finished for the day, and Axel was due to meet Roxas for ice cream again.

"Before you leave," Saix addressed all three of them. "You all have been assigned to Castle Oblivion detail. The superior is becoming impatient with the lack of progress we're making so he wants you three as well as Vexen, Zexion, and Lexaeus to spend a few weeks there and try and speed things up."

"Fun…" Axel groaned and raked fingers through his hair. "When do we have to leave?"

"Tomorrow… so I suggest you tell your little "friend" that you won't be meeting with her anymore." Saix grunted and turned his back on him. Larxene gave a wry laugh.

"Friend? Don't tell me he's talking about Roxas? Have you gone sweet on her, Axel?"

"That's really none of your concern, now is it Larxene?" Axel smirked back at her.

"She's a kid, Axel. Don't expect much out of her, she doesn't remember nearly as much as we do when it comes to the emotions of a heart."

"You make it sound as if you had one before… here I thought you'd always been heartless." Axel snorted and strolled out, his eyes narrowed in the darkness. The darkness suited him… it was empty, brutal, and it fit his brooding mood just perfectly. The longer he stayed, the more he wanted to just drift there, let it consume him.

Still, the light was too bright to ignore, though it stung his eyes he walked to it… stepping through dark and reaching his hands out to touch the light on the other side. The first thing he saw was Roxas' face, her eyes lit when she saw him and she flashed a smile at him. That smile was new, and growing on him more and more. The longer they were together, the bigger her smile got.

"Axel, i bought the ice cream today!" Roxas held out the bar to him. "Come on, the sun's already setting!" She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. Axel wondered why the movement also squeezed his chest too. He followed her all the way up to the clock, sat with her as he always did… and nibbled on his ice cream as he watched her take huge smiling bites.

"I'm gonna miss you…" he whispered and caught her attention. Her mouth still on the ice cream she gave him a wide blinking stare.

"Hmmm?"

"I said, I'm gonna miss… this ice cream thing we do." He cleared his throat and took a bite to give him a minute to respond. "I can fill you in since we're friends. I've been assigned to castle Oblivion."

"Castle Oblivion?"

"Yeah, the organization has a second castle in the lanes between. It's called Castle Oblivion. Got it memorized?" He touched his temple smirking. She answered his smirk with one of her own, but it quickly fell when his words sank in.

"I wish people would tell me these things… when are you leaving?" She clutched the ice cream bar in both hands watching the rest start to drip off.

"Tomorrow, first thing. I won't be able to meet up with you, at least for awhile." He scooted closer and tugged on the ends of her hair. "I'll be back though."

"Mmmm," She turned to him, their faces close again and his hands still in her hair playing with the ends. "I'll miss you." She admitted, not realizing her cheeks had flushed from the close contact.

"I know you will… but hey… how about I give you something to hold you off til I get back."

"Give me something?" Roxas tilted her head a bit in confusion. "Like what?"

"Close your eyes." He instructed, and waited for her lids to close before scooting in all the way. "Keep them closed." He whispered and with a quick inhale kissed her. Roxas' breath backed up into her lungs as the sensation of his mouth on her sent all those tingles fluttering through her. She nearly dropped her ice cream in the excitement and confusion of the kiss.

Axel had only meant to give her a peck, but the sensation of it was so… perfect. He parted her lips with his tongue let it deepen and he heard her gasp and murmur. His free hand stroked over her face and through her hair and he took big greedy gulps, helpling himself to her flavor and touch.

When he finally broke away they were both breathing a little heavily, Roxas' eyes finally opened and she stared at him confused, and stirred up. Those blue eyes were wet with arousal, though she couldn't adhere to the unfamiliar sensation, and her mouth trembled and was plumped from the contact.

"That should do it." Axel whispered and stroked her cheek before standing up. "Well I better be getting back and getting ready. Nothing but fun, fun, fun." he strolled past her, pausing briefly to glance back and see she was staring at the ground, flushed and so obviously bemused. His lips curved and he touched them with his fingertips laughing a bit. "Time for you to give this a thought."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Absence and Fulfillment


	3. Absence and Fulfillment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas deals with Axel's absence. Expect some CoM timeline in here.

Roxas lay on her bed staring up at the ice cream stick she'd held onto tafter her last meet up with Axel. He was gone now, off to castle oblivion, and left her with a thousand question racing through her head, not to mention this uncomfortable twisting sensation in her chest that made it hard for her to sleep, or even breathe.

These...feelings… because she had no other way to describe what she was experiencing, were confusing and unsettling. She even approached Saix about the change in herself, and the man simply stared blankly, and spoke in his usual monotone.

"Don't put too much thought into this nonsense, Roxas. Nobodies do not have hearts… therefore nobodies do not have emotions. However, those of us in the organization are different, because all of us remember what it's like to have hearts. We may not remember what our true names were, but the memories of them live deep in our psyche, allowing us to think and act in irrational ways. What you're experiencing isn't truly your emotions, but the memory of the emotions of your former self."

"My former self…" Roxas whispered and tightly gripped the stick before setting it aside. "What former self… why is it when I ask a question, instead of a straight answer I just end up asking more questions." She sat up and ruffled her hair til the long tresses covered her face. She groaned and rocked herself. "If these feelings aren't mine then where are they coming from… why does my chest hurt whenever I think of Axel… and why do I get all these strange urges to-"

She thought of that time she lay naked under him on the bed, his eyes sharp as he studied her with a disapproving frown. She could remember the scent of his skin, the touch of his fingers in her hair, the sound of his rich voice.

Fiery tingles prickled against her skin and an uncomfortable ache pitched in her let out a gasp and rolled onto her side covering her mouth. Her face had gone bright red and her body started to trembled. What… what was that? What was that sensation? Her breathing went ragged and she wiped sweat away from her face and temple.

"Axel…" she whimpered and curled up into a ball. "What have you done to me?"

~Castle Oblivion~

Axel let out a large sneeze and rubbed his nose with a sniffle. Larxene and Marluxia gaved him a puzzled look.

"What was that?" Larxene scolded. "I've never seen or heard a nobody sneeze before. Were you poking fun just now?"

"Hmmm? No, I honestly don't know where that came from. Must be something in the air of this place… or maybe I'm just allergic to your company."

"Ha, ha, very funny." Larxene hissed out and tossed her pixie blonde hair in a huffing motion. "You know…" she continued after a moment. "You seem pretty intrigued in this Sora kid." She referred to the guest they'd pulled in who was wandering the rooms of Castle Oblivion downstairs.

Axel's eyes went cool and he leaned back against the wall. He'd met the young keyblade master for the first time. Roxas' former self… or better put, her other half. It was a rare and phenomenal feat for a person and their nobody to coincide with each other. Yes, he was very intrigued.

"Are you telling me you're not Larxene?"

"I haven't decided yet." Larxene laughed wondering what sorts of tortures she could ensue on the new toy. "I think what intrigues me more is, what you see in her."

"There was a time when she became a heartless… and when one becomes a heartless-"

"-they lose their minds and their feelings and are consumed by the darkness." Larxene finished, thoroughly bored with the explanation already.

"Right… but not Sora. She was able to hold onto her feelings even as a heartless. There's only one other person who's been able to do just that."

"It's the strength of her heart." Larxene deduced, her eyes suddenly sharpening with realization and interest. "That's what interests you… why the keyblade chose Sora's heart."

"To unlock the mysteries of the heart. Is that not the Organization's mission?"

Yes, Larxene thought with a laugh, but that's not the reason you in particular are interested. Larxene knew, just by looking at him, that his interests were purely selfish.

"Could you imagine what sort of calamity would ensue if Roxas were to meet her other half? Just imagine the twisted look on her face. It would be…. Delicious."

Axel's eyes went fierce and he turned his back on Larxene.

"That's not gonna happen… the organization needs those two separated."

"For the time being anyway…" Larxene crooned and watched Axel vanish into the dark abyss of his portal.

~Day 23: Twilight Town~

For the next couple of days after Axel had left, Roxas tried to ignore the stir in her body and complete her missions. She was put in charge of Xion, and guided the newbie through basic training and simple tests. She originally thought Xion was a female, and found out he had more of a masculine presence and structure hiding under that cloak. He wasn't tall and lean like Axel, but petite and athletic. He was young, probably the same age as her, or close enough to it. He was about her height too, just inching over her by a nose.

His constant quiet presence made her a bit uneasy, and he wasn't much help during the missions. He pretty much watched and ascertained what was going on, and let Roxas handle the dirty work. Which was probably for the best seeing as the guy couldn't even speak.

They finished up the mission for the day, and Roxas stretched out before turning to Xion.

"I've got somewhere to be again today. You go on ahead without me."

Everyday since Axel left she'd bought ice cream for herself, and gone to the clocktower. Even though Axel wasn't there to enjoy it with her, she made a secret promise to herself to continue to go even alone. She hoped that one day Axel would pop up, and things would get back to normal. She was tired of having all these fake emotions racing through her, making her think strange thoughts.

She missed him, Roxas had realized that after the first day. Real feelings or not, there was no denying she wanted to see him, no denying she wanted to hear his voice, his laugh, see his smile. If anyone could give a straight and clear explanation to what was going on inside her it was him, so she hoped he could come back soon, and they could talk out what was happening between them.

She started to walk away from Xion… but a sound made her stop.

"R-Roxas."

"What?" She turned around, her blonde hair kicking into her face at the fast motion. She watched Xion turn to face her, his blue eyes piercing from under the hood.

"Roxas is your name." Xion spoke, for the first time to her.

Eyes wide as saucers she fully faced him and nodded.

"Y-yes, it is."

She held out a hand as Xion turned and left through the portal. She had wanted to hear more from him, but it was obvious Xion had said what he had wanted to say… as minute as it was. Still it left her fuzzy and warm to know that Xion's first word had been her name. For some reason, it made her smile. Perhaps she was becoming an influence on him the way Axel had been on her.

"Roxas, huh?" She laughed a bit and set off to get her ice cream.

~Castle Oblivion~

Axel watched Sora through the viewing globe. The further in she went, the more memories she lost… until Namine had emerged into her memories. It was Marluxia's plan to warp and toy with Sora's memories, putting the rift between her and her friends, and making her a puppet for the Organization… the organization Marluxia intended to overthrow.

He didn't have proof yet that Marluxia was the traitor… but considering the man had used his current hiatus from missions and grunge work to thoroughly take over Castle Oblivion, made Axel suspicious. Saix had told him to find the traitors hiding in the ranks and dispose of them… but just how many were in on it?

"Everything's going according to plan."

"You had your fun on the first floor, now it's my turn."

Frowning, Axel flicked a card to Larxene, pressing a kiss to it she sauntered over and grasped his chin teasingly.

"I'm not just going to give it to her."

"Don't break her," Axel warned with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Do I detect a soft spot?"

"We need her," Axel quickly shot back and the sudden protectiveness in his voice surprised even him.

"Relax, I'm not gonna break the toy. I'm not stupid."

"Sora is the key, we'll need her if we're going to take over the organization." He grunted when Larxene pressed a finger to his lips.

"I know you're in on it too… but keep it under your hood. At least until the time is right." Larxene laughed and strolled off. Axel smirked as he watched her leave. So, Larxene was in on it too.

"You would have been wise to have done the same, Larxene."

~Day 25: Twilight Town~

While Xion wouldn't get the chatterbox award, it was nice to finally hear his voice. Roxas thought his quiet persona suited him well, and wondered what she could do to let him open up just a little more each day. She taught him what she could, and let him observe and collect items while she took care of the heartless foes. Twilight town didn't seem to have a large abundance of heartless, but it was enough to keep her busy, and a good teaching tool for Xion to learn the ropes.

"Roxas..." Xion suddenly spoke up, his voice soft and soothing not quite a man's or child's, but that young teenage gruff. He lifted his hood, and for the first time since he'd joined the organization Roxas saw his face.

He had long black hair that tickled around his wide shoulders, eyes a cool ocean blue, and the muscles in his face were lean and princely. He offered up a smile that would turn normal girls to puddles at his feet.

"Best of luck today."

"Y-yeah," she returned the smile, the momentary surprise of his revealing calming down. What was it about him, Roxas wondered, that reminded her a bit of Axel. The two were nothing alike, in looks or personality, but something about both of them just put her at ease. The thought of Axel made her briefly look away, there was a flutter in her chest which she recognized as the sign of missing him. He liked to creep up on her like that, she noticed, and wished she could put all of these feelings back where they came from. Turning her attention back to Xion she reached out and took his hand. She didn't noticed the surprised look on his face as she started to tug and yank him behind her, or the careful study his eyes were taking of her.

"Come on, let's get to work."

~Castle Oblivioin~

Perfect… now he had two distinctive traitors among the group that was sent to the Castle. The ones left to decipher whether or not numbers 4 through 6 were also amongst the traitors Saix had warned him about.

He very much doubted Lexaeus' involvement, the man had a moral code even as a nobody… and Vexen hated Marluxia with every fiber of his non-existence. Zexion was the most likely to be somewhat aware if not involved. He didn't much care to dirty his own hands, but he was the kind of person who watched others stack the dominoes, and laugh when they fall.

"Now then, how do I go about this? Hmmm perhaps it's best if I just wait, and see where this road leads before I decide to block it off." Axel talked to himself and rubbed his chin, grimacing from the traces of Larxene's grip still lingering. He really did dislike that woman.

He turned his eyes to the viewing globe again, watching Larxene play her game with the pretty young keyblade master. Sora's face, particularly the expressive eyes made him think of Roxas. Thinking of Roxas made him think about the kiss.

He touched his lips with his gloved fingers. He wondered what had possessed him to do such a thing. He just remembered seeing that look on her face, one of worry, and loneliness. He wanted to give her something to think about, something that would erase the sadness. What he probably did was just confuse her… and himself.

Roxas was the only organization member he actually enjoyed spending time with. Because he'd been so involved with her training and initiation he'd gotten the chance to mold her a bit, make her see the world differently from the other organization members.

He worried that his absence might change all that. What would happen if Xigbar, Xaldin, or god help him Demyx were to get their claws in. He had to hurry and finish this mission so he could get back to her, he wanted to see her, wanted-

"Whoa!" Axel jumped and backed away from the globe to run a hand through his hair. "Where'd that come from?" Hurry back to her? Wanted to see her? Just what sort of nonsense put those kinds of thoughts into a guy's head?

It troubled him, more so than he would have liked to admit, that he missed her. Calming himself down Axel lounged back on the wall and took a deep breath. Ever since he'd met her his own head was messed up by the flooding emotions she'd make him remember. When she was around, it was like he had his heart back and it was thriving and beating in his chest.

Before Roxas had come along Axel had been fine just dilly dallying with his missions and work… but now that she was here, he hated work, hated missions, hated being involved with anything that took him away from her.

What was she doing to him?

He was pondering over that very thing as Larxene popped back up wiping her forehead.

"Whew, throwing that fight wore me out."

"Heh, looked to me like you just plain lost." Axel poked fun enjoying the way her face screwed up and her temper flared.

"What? How dare you? You don't understand the nuances of-"

"-an ungainly effort." A new voice popped up and Vexen appeared from a cloud of darkness. "How could you be humbled by someone of such limited significance? You shame the organization." Vexen lectured Larxene, fanning the flames of the Pixie's temper.

"How can we help you, Vexen? It's not often we see you topside."

"I've come to offer you my help. You seem to think that this Sora is someone of significance, but I remain unconvinced. I think an experient is in order to see if she really is of any value to us." Vexen smiled wickedly.

"Here we go again, this is all just an excuse so you can run your little experiments." Larxene hissed.

"I'm a scientist, experimenting is what I do."

"Whatever, you can do what you want. However, I think testing Sora, is just an excuse for testing out your valet." Axel eyed the Riku copy that stood off to the side silent in the corner of the room.

"Valet? He is the product of pure research."

"What he really is, is a toy."

That, Axel was forced to admit, was the truth. As they argued over what to do with the new Riku, Axel found himself feeling a bit sorry for the puppet. The Riku replica begged and pleaded as his heart was warped and his memories changed to make use. His fellow organization members carried on without a sign of remorse or sympathy. Axel was forced to try and do the same. After all, in the end a tool was all the replica would ever become. No matter what kind of feelings and memories Namine put into the boy's head they were all just lies hiding the fact he was an empty soul.

And that sentiment… Axel thought with a sneer… hit just a little too close to home.


	4. Two Friends and a Keyblade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas and Xion deepen their bond as friends, and Axel continues to monitor Sora in Castle Oblivion

The Town was surprisingly quiet today. The usual gang Roxas would see roaming around were nowhere in sight… in fact Roxas didn't really see anybody. She looked to Xion who was wandering beside her, his eyes wide and taking in everything. He'd been to the town several times before, but this was the first time Roxas remembered seeing him really observe anything but her. She smiled.

"It's quiet, but a nice town all in all don't you think?"

"Huh? Oh, yes," he looked to her confused at first but then nodded in agreement. "Very nice town." He repeated flushing a little and looking down at his hand. He still hadn't quite recovered from her gentle grip. It was just a small touch but it triggered so many things inside him.

They met a few smaller heartless along their walk

"Saix said that there was supposed to be a large heartless somewhere in the town. I don't see a huge heartless, or even any people."

"Which direction do you think we should go?" Xion wondered aloud.

"I say let's go high, from the station we'll be able to see the whole town. We'll be sure to spot it." Roxas cut through another small heartless as it leapt from the shadows. "Let's go!"

As they climbed the hill to the station, Roxas immediately saw their target. The massive black form stood tall and menacing, and it must have been his influence that had scared off the locals. Roxas let her keyblade form in hand and eyed Xion who was poised for attack.

"You ready Xion?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's get him!" Roxas leaped up, the form wasn't fast, but he had incredible strength. He could summon smaller heartless that leapt up from the darkness. They scratched and clawed at her legs, Xion let loose magic keeping them off her while she concentrated on the large mass.

Still the fight wasn't easy, the hits weren't quite doing the trick, it was only wearing the creature down. She needed to get higher, needed to slice across the chest. She jumped up gasping as its arm shoved at her, batting her away like a fly. Her keyblade went flying. She skidded to the ground rolling until she got to her feet.

She lifted her head just in time to see Xion summon the blade into his hand, he made the jump and slice the black mass clean through to finish it off. Her eyes went wide and she stood up running over to him laughing.

"Xion! I didn't know you could use the keyblade!"

Xion glanced down at the blade, his eyes wary and he smiled.

"You know, neither did I."

The two shared a laugh together, and with this bond created Roxas decided he'd earned a reward.

"You've earned, the icing on the cake." Sora took his hand again. They wandered back into town, things running normal with the presence of the black mass gone. She bought two ice creams keeping her hand in Xion's until they made the climb up the station tower.

"This is such a great spot, how did you find it?" Xion sat beside her watching the sunset. He clutched his hands in his lap rubbing the palm that had been clasped in Roxas' and tried to make sense of what was going on inside him. He looked to the side and Roxas held out the blue ice cream she'd bought out to him.

"Here yah go… Sea Salt Ice Cream… go on, try it."

Xion looked down at the ice cream, his eyes blinking and he opened his mouth taking a nibble.

"Mmmph, it's sweet… and salty."

"It's good right?" Roxas' smile was bright and happy as she bit into her own ice cream. "Axel and I always meet here for ice cream after work. This flavor," she held out the blue bar smiling at it affectionately. "It's Axel's favorite."

"Sounds like it's yours too." Xion commented watching Roxas smile and talk. She looked like she was enjoying herself, and there was a contentment there that he'd never seen on any of the others in the organization. It was that look that had drawn him in the first time they'd met, and made him study her, watch her, and want to interact with her.

"Axel took me here on my first day with the organization, and then again after my first mission. He called it the icing on the cake."

"Like you just did for me…"

"Yeah!"

"You and Axel," Xion looked back at the sunset his ice cream melting in his hand. "You guys must be really close."

"Well yeah," Roxas thought about it… and had to nod in agreement. She was closer to him than anyone else. Wasn't that the reason she'd been so churned up since he'd left. Why his kiss had both delighted and confused her to the point of keeping her up at night? She couldn't wait to see him again, she wanted desperately to see him, to ask him why he'd done that… and why it suddenly felt like she had someone banging drums in her chest whenever she thought about it. "We're friends."

"Friends…" He turned towards her, watching her face, and sparkling eyes. "Do you think I could be a friend?"

"Of course…" Roxas' eyes lit up as an idea hit. "Hey when Axel gets back, we can all have ice cream together!"

"I'd like that." Xion agreed and the two turned their heads back to the sunset, and ate ice cream.

~Castle Oblivion~

Sora ran into the next room and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes went wide and her heart galloped at the sight of Riku walking straight to her.

"Riku!" She ran to him, "it is you! What are you doing here?" She held out her arms and engulfed him in a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder shaking a bit.

Riku's replica stood still as a statue, his eyes narrowed as he glanced down and pulled back from the trembling female. He saw the tears, saw the relief, and had to snarl a bit.

"Spare the tears, Sora. I'm pretty sure you'd all but forgotten about me."

"What? That's not true. I came all this way looking for you!" Sora wiped at her tears.

"That's not the reason anymore though is it? He growled. "Now it's only Namine that you're concerned about." He crossed his arms. "You don't care about me… just like you never cared at all about her feelings."

"Namine's feelings?"

Axel watched from the viewing globe as Riku's replica twisted and manipulated Sora's heart. Vexen's experiment was doing well to cause her confusion, letting her emotions run hot and heavy, making her easier to control. Marluxia's plan was working… but at what cost?

Sora was a keyblade wielder. The ins and outs of her heart could be the clue they all needed to become real again. If this deception kept up they may damage Sora's heart beyond repair.

He looked back at the globe, Sora had continued the chase cornering Riku again forcing him to look at her.

"Don't you remember what you did when we closed the door? Don't you remember what you said to me?"

"I remember… but you never shared my feelings. I realized that when I came here. All those faces on the island, I've forgotten them all, and remembered only what's important." He pushed her back and clutched the star shape around his neck, Sora eyed it and something triggered.

"That…"

"Thanks for finding it for me, Namine gave this to me before she left the island… and you gave it back to me at the door. I said those words to you... but they weren't for you, they were for her. I love Namine!"

"That's not true!" Panic raced through Sora's mind and heart. She'd said it so suddenly it'd shocked even her. The disbelief in her voice frightening and motivating. "You and I both care about Namine, but our bond is special Riku. It always has been." She remembered them as kids, fighting each other with wooden swords, laughing and playing. She hadn't forgotten anything about him. Her fingers reached up to hold the stars clinking on her braid. "It's not true, none of it is. You only forgot… I'll prove it. I'll jog your memory." She let her keyblade free and the two battled.

Axel touched the globe, seeing the look on Sora's face as she fought. It was time, he thought, time to finish this, and go back to who he cared about. He returned to the group, watching, calculating on how he could finish his mission. He needed Marluxia to admit his treason, but how?

It was Vexen who gave him his opportunity. Like him, Vexen saw through Marluxia's plan, and decided to tip off the keyblade master. While battling her, Vexen formed a card of Twilight Town, not her memory, but one from Roxas who resided on the other side of Sora's heart. The two were connected, and the memory far more real than any facade's Namine was feeding Sora. They all knew if Sora became too aware of what was going on, she could disappear into the lanes between, and out of the organization's grasp.

"If Sora disappears," Axel casually commented. "That would mess up the organization's plans."

"I trust you know what to do." Marluxia scowled, furious with Vexen for butting into his master plan.

"Haven't a clue, really, perhaps you should spell it out for me."

"Vexen has clearly committed a treasonous act against the organization. You must eliminate the traitor."

"No taking that back later." Axel smirked and vanished into the dark.

Sora stood in front of the old haunted mansion, her eyes wide with wonder as this trembling in her heart caused stirrings and emotions racing. There was something, nostalgic about this place, about the grounds, and the old gate. She swear she could hear whispers of voices from the past, see shadows in front of her… and a name that was just on the tip of her tongue. R...R...Rox-

"So! Feeling nostalgic?" Vexen appeared and startled her. She whirled around to face Vexen her eyes hard and teeth set in a snarl.

"Sora, a question, your memories of Namine, or you feelings here, which of the two are more real? I wonder."

"Namine, of course!" Sora was convinced, and on full alert. No way she would trust anything these people handed to her. The longer she talked to Vexen, however, the more her heart began to waver. The things he was saying her were making a sickening sense, and left her trembling with anger and confusion.

"It is your heart that remembers." Vexen said coolly, confidently.

"You're wrong!" Denial, and frustration swelled up, fueling Sora's anger. "I don't know this place!"

"If you remain bound by the chain of memories, and refuse to see what is truly in your memories, then throw them away. You're not a keyblade master, just a slave to twisted memories. Yes… exactly like my Riku. Your existence is worth nothing!"

"Like your Riku… worth nothing?" That did it. Convinced, Sora growled between grit teeth. Trembling with fury she let her blade loose. "That's enough! You're the one who changed Riku! Every word you said is a lie!" Sora clutched her chest feeling the beat and response. "I'd never throw away my heart. I'm going to beat you, and save Riku and Namine. That's what's in my heart!"

Such a passionate girl, Axel mused watching from the shadows. Her fight with Vexen was filled with such hate and personal vendetta. It was a sight worthy of the icky reason for him being here. Then again he'd never been a big fan of Vexen to begin with. The guy was pompous, arrogant, so proud of his number and status in the organization when really he was a throw away. His research and experiments did nothing to further the Organization's ideals, and it was clear by his orders, that everyone here in Castle Oblivion, including himself, was expendable.

His own anger swelled at the thought of being so easily tossed aside. He'd show the higher ups that he was worthy of keeping around! He watched Vexen collapse and waited for just the right time to make his entrance. Just as Vexen got to his feet he let his Chakram fly, the fire blazing along the blades and scorching the already crumbling scientist. Sora gasped and whirled around, her long braid twisting over her neck and whipping into her face. 

"Axel!"

"Yo, Sora!" Axel greeted cheerfully. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Axel... Why?" Vexen slowly got to his feet, his body shaking, his voice gruff and filled with pain from the attack. Sora looked between the two men, caught in the middle and thoroughly confused.

"I came to stop you from talking too much…" Axel explained. Unlike Vexen who was shaken up, Axel seemed calm and cool. He stared at Vexen with a look that sent chills running through Sora's blood. "...by eliminating your existence."

"What?" Vexen gasped, and Sora stood shocked. "No, don't do it!"

"We are just nobodies who have no one to be, and yet we still are. Now you can be just nothing instead of just a nobody. " He smirked. "You're off the hook."

"No, please, don't do it!" Vexen backed into the gate, no where to run, no where to go. He tried calling the darkness to escape but he could already feel the pull of death.

"Goodbye." Snapping his fingers Axel set Vexen's body aflame, scorching him from the inside out. Sora's eyes went wide and she shook with disbelief at what just happened.

"What…. WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE?!" Sora whirled around again to face Axel, gasping a little when she found he'd closed the distance and was admiring her face closely. She backed up a few steps and grunted when he grasped her chin.

"You know…" He stared into her eyes.. The same beautiful blue her and Roxas shared. He leaned in tempted to kiss those lips, much as he had done to Roxas… but couldn't find the heart...heh… to do it. "I wonder about that myself."

He let the black rise up and around him, phasing away from Sora and back to the meeting. With his initiation complete, Axel now had it in with the true traitors of the Organization. Whether by his hand, or whether by the keyblade master's... Marluxia and Larxene would meet their ends. Once he had a moment alone he sent a message to Saix and slipped back into his role as spy.


	5. The First Taste of Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas hears a rumor that Axel has been killed, and is unprepared for the aftermath.

The first traitor has been eliminated. Before the week is out, all who betrayed the organization will be dealt with. You should know, both Sora and Riku are wandering around the castle, and are being used in one form or another by the other organization members. I think it best if I halt my reports for the time being.

~Axel~

Saix stared at the message, absorbing the information before disposing of it. So the first step was taken, but Axel's need to halt the reports spelled trouble. It would mean that there was more than one person who antagonized the Organization's goals and needs. Gritting his teeth he returned to the Mission room.

Xigbar lounged back on the couch, but at the sight of Saix immediately stood up. "Xemnas went off to his special place, he said you can report to him when he gets back. Any news from the Loser Castle?"

"I just received word from Axel… he's eliminated the first traitor… but has explained he can't send any more messages for some time. Which means it's begun."

"I wonder which one of them got the ghost first. My Money's on Larxene, annoying little harpy." Xigbar grunted. "I hope she went screaming."

"Who knows… but that's not all he reported. It appears both Sora and Riku are in Castle Oblivion."

"You're kidding!" Xigbar had to laugh. "Oh man, what are the odds? Are you sure it was Axel who eliminated the traitor?"

"Who knows… but with both key bearers there, it may come to pass that none of the organization members that were sent to Castle Oblivion will survive."

"So what?" Xigbar grunted and waved a hand in the air. "Who cares if those losers are dead? I say good riddance!"

"Saix!" Xigbar turned to see Roxas standing just inside the door. Her eyes narrowed and confused. "I… I just heard from Demyx that Organization members are being wiped out.

Saix and Xigbar exchanged looks before looking back to the younger member. Both of them remained silent as she approached.

"So is it true then… about Castle Oblivion?"

"That's none of your concern." Saix said quickly, seeing the hysteria forming.

"What about Axel?" Something about the look in Saix's eyes had her gut twisting and she desperately wanted to be sick.

"Gone…" He said after a moment deciding it best she was distanced from Axel. "He may have disappeared for good."

"What?" Her blue eyes go wide with shock. There was pain, in those eyes, something sharp and aching that brought fire into her chest making it hard to breathe. The older organization members stepped away leaving her alone in the mission room to cope.

She stared at her hands, seeing them shake. Her entire body felt strange… She'd never known such pain… wounds she understood, fatigue she understood… but this kind of pain was like being attacked from the inside. She held her chest and stomach falling to her knees.

That's how Xion found her, curled up on the ground trying desperately to breathe.

"Roxas!" Xion ran to her kneeling beside her and lifting her up to cradle. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I…" She whimpered and looked up. Xion was taken aback as he saw those beautiful blue eyes spill over with tears. "I don't know…"

~Hours later~

Roxas had never cried before. She didn't know what it was or why she had done it. It was a terrible experience, unable to breathe, unable to speak, her body just reacting in ways she just couldn't understand. Xion had stayed with her, sat with her in her room til she'd calmed down. It had helped, a great deal, to have him there.

Still the organization wouldn't wait. They both had missions to go on, and today they'd be separated for the first time since Xion started missions. Still she was confident in him, she knew he had the skills to handle missions on his own… and it was time she concentrated on her own.

Today she was with Xigbar, it had been awhile since she'd shared mission space but seeing as they were going to a new world, a place called Agrabah, Saix thought it best that she was accompanied.

She lingered on even after collecting her quota. She destroyed another heartless, watching the creature vanish to smoke, and the heart rise from its blackness to be collected.

"Hey… what happens to heartless when they're destroyed?"

"The hearts remain…" Xigbar explained, glad she was back to her curious and questioning self. He hadn't like the idea of being stuck with a whimpering girl. "Then those hearts are gathered to create the great Kingdom Hearts."

The bodies of the heartless are destroyed… Roxas thought… but the hearts, their essence, live on.

"So...can you tell me what remains when a Nobody is destroyed?"

Xigbar grunted, knowing exactly where this was going. Still he spoke the truth… or as much of it as he knew.

"What's there to leave behind? We were never supposed to "be" in the first place."

"Then, what happened to the organization members at Castle Oblivion?" Roxas stepped closer, the ache in her stomach and chest returning. She could feel the tears wanting to well up but she pushed them back. "Where'd they go?"

"Nothing is left of them." As far as he knew anyway… Xigbar tapped his fingers on his thigh impatiently.

"Which means… I'll never see them again?"

"That's right." Not wanting to see the waterworks that were surely on their way Xigbar turned his back. "You coming?"

"Axel…" Roxas slowly opened her eyes, waited for the calm to come… The memories and images of Axel filling her up, threatening to spill the tears again. "Damn it I hate this…" She stubbornly wiped them away. Roxas stood in the hot sun, sweating under her black coat, but feel cold right down to the bone. She cradled herself shaking out a breath to calm the tears. She would NOT cry again. She would NOT feel this way!

"Why do I-" The shock of pain in her head shook her out of the crying fest. She held it, and looked around as her vision blurred. Xigbar turned, shocked at how pale she'd suddenly gone, those blue eyes of her going blank.

"Kiddo? Oi!" He rushed back to catch her as she collapsed to the ground. "Damn it, what the hell?" He picked her up and brought her through the portal. Saix and Xion looked up as them slipped in.

"Xigbar, what happened?" Xion rushed over to them grunting as Roxas' limp body was tossed into his nearly making him topple backwards. "Roxas?"

"What did you do?" Saix accused narrowing his eyes at Xigbar.

"Nothing! We finished the mission and were heading back and suddenly she just collapsed."

"Xion… take Roxas to her room and lay her down. I will find Xemnas and inform him of what's happened."

"She'll be alright, won't she, Saix?" Xion looked hopeful but only got silence in return. He shifted Roxas in his arms so her head cradled in the crook of his neck. He could feel her breathing, slow and steady… still alive.

He did as he was told, putting her down on her bed and stood watching her lie still as death…. But alive… he told himself. Roxas was still alive.

He felt the uncomfortable twist in his gut… and wondered if this was the pain Roxas had been talking about before. When he'd found her in the Mission room hours before she'd looked so ill. He knew he should have convinced her to stay at base… he probably could have convinced Saix to let her take a day off… let her relax so she could get better.

She hadn't wanted to, she'd wanted to continue her job… wanted to keep going. He admired that about her.

"I'll work twice as hard for both of us, Roxas. I'll take on your missions as well as mine if I have to. Just get better…" He took her hand, squeezed it. "Get better soon."

~Day 49~

Days had passed but Roxas continued to sleep. Xion worked tirelessly, exploring worlds and eliminating heartless, and collecting as many hearts as he could get. It was strange… the more Roxas slept, the stronger Xion felt… it was as if his inner self was telling him to fight hard to protect her.

After every mission he'd return to Roxas' side, and watch her sleep for a time. He'd found a beautiful world, a place by the beach. He loved the sound of waves splashing across the sand, the sweet and salty scent of the sea, and the gentle touch of the breeze on his cheeks. He wanted to show it to her. Wanted to sit on the sand and watch the sunset much as they did in Twilight Town.

He pulled the shell from his pocket, the pretty patterns catching to the eye, a beautiful semblance of the land he'd discovered. He set it down with the others he'd placed on her bedside, admired the rainbow of colors they made against the stark gray sheets of her bed.

"I hope… you can join me next time."

~Castle Oblivion~

Uneasy, and a little scared Sora stood in front of the giant egg shaped dome. While the explanation Namine had given her made some sense.. She still worried if she'd retain all the memories she'd lost. More so, she worried about the memories she'd gained… all those of Namine.

"You sure about this?"

"Yes… Your true memories are too important, Sora. Your connection to the people most important to you, are a big part of who you are. You love Riku, don't you?"

Blushing Sora turned her back to her and clutched her chest.

"Yes… Yes I do love him."

"Then you shouldn't have any doubts about his love either. When two people share the same love, it's special… and should never be tampered with. I'm sorry for that."

"Namine don't…" Sora turned back and placed her hands on her shoulders. "It wasn't your fault. I know that. In the end you did the right thing by telling me the truth."

"I know…" She touched Sora's hand smiling. "Putting your memories back together may take a little time… but I'll be sure to take care of you… of all of you." She looked around at Donald and Goofy.

"Gee, when we wake up… we won't remember who you are anymore." Goofy said with a sad voice and expression.

"And then how are we gonna thank you?" Donald asked with big wide eyes. His bill turned down in a pout.

"I got it… I'll write a message here in my journal." Jiminy pat the book he always carried. "It'll say Thank Namine."

"Oh good, that makes me feel better." Donald smiled and looked to Goofy. He nodded in return then waved at Namine and Sora.

"Well Good Night then Namine."

"Goodnight Goofy." Naimine laughed a little. She looked to Sora and smiled. "You too, Sora."

"Alright…"

"This may have all started with a lie…" Namine clutched her hands together. "However, I really am glad I was able to meet you."

"Me too… when I first met you… and when I remembered your name. I was happy. Those feelings Namine, those weren't a lie. I can promise you that."

"Mmmmm…" Namine smiled. "Okay… Goodbye."

"No, not goodbye." She turned to her fully and took her hand closing both hers around it. "When I wake up, I'll find you. Then you and I will be friends for real. Promise me that, okay?"

"You're gonna forget making that promise" Namine said with amusement.

"If the chain of memories is broken, the memory will still be there, right?" Sora explained using Namine's own words to prove her point. Sora watched the flicker of emotions across Namine's face until they rested on a smile.

"Okay, then. It's a promise."

Sora let go of her hands only to hook her pinky around Namine's. The promise sealed and the two new friends smiled at each other. Sora climbed into the pod and turned around as the doors closed around her.

"Sora...some of your memories lied deep in the shadows of your heart. I won't be able to find them… but don't worry, because you made other promises to the two people who matter most to you. They are your light. Remember them and all the memories lost in the shadows will come into the light."

"The people who matter most to me…"

"Look at the charms… I tampered with their appearance and background when I changed your memories. However when you thought about them just once, they returned back to the way they were. Hold them… and remember."

As the sleep began to take hold she cradled the stars on the end of her braid and the pieces of an unfinished charm in her hands. The two most important people in her life…

"It's a charm… so long as you have it I'll always be with you. So promise me we'll each each other again!"

Riku the person she loved more than anyone…

"Promise me you'll find him...and both come back to me."

...and the other whose friendship she coveted more than anyone.

"Kairi!"


	6. Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel returns from Castle Oblivion.

~Day 50~

Roxas woke up, her head pounding and her body stiff from the long slumber. She slowly rose up touching her temple and looking around at her own room. When had she gone to sleep? How long had she slept?

She glanced to her bedside and saw the shells, picking one up she admired it and it's colorful shell. Her smile was soft and she barely noticed it had spread. It was the first time she'd smiled since she'd heard about Axel.

Axel…

Fresh pain twisted her insides and she clutched her chest. Running outside and down the halls she slowed her pace to a walk as she entered the mission room… and found no one.

"What did I expect?" she sighed and opened a portal for herself to Twilight Town. She grabbed ice cream, and stepped to her usual spot atop the clock looking out at the sunset. She'd just finished her stick when she heard Xion's voice.

"Roxas?"

She looked up saw Xion's relieved smile.

"Xion… what happened to me?"

"You were asleep for a long time," he started and crossed over to sit beside her. "Saix said there was no telling when you'd might wake up… but I'm glad you did."

"I kinda feel like a zombie though," she laughed a little and gasped some as he held out a shell to her. She took it in hand smiling.

"So you're the one leaving shells by my bed…"

"Mmmm, that's right. I've been picking one up on every mission. Hold it up to your ear." He suggested and pressed it to her ear. It felt good to touch her again, to see her awake, hear her voice. He watched her face as she closed her eyes and listened, watched the calm smile spread over those lips, and the urge to meet them push at his brain.

"I hear the waves… it's beautiful, Xion, thank you." She tucked the shell into her pocket and looked back out at the sun. "Too late for missions today… but I guess I'll be back on roster tomorrow."

"If it's too hard for you, I'm sure we can arrange for you to rest some more."

"No," She shook her head. "I don't want to just lay in bed… there's too much to think about in the quiet."

Xion nodded and scowled. His hands fisted over his black pants and he wished there was something he could do to give her back that spark of life Axel had taken away. He got up and stretched out a hand to her. She took it and let him guide her back, with her fingers curled possessively in his grip.

~Day 71~

Roxas found out that everyone at the castle had been destroyed. The pain in her chest continued to get worse the more she thought of it so she did her best to keep busy with missions. She had no partners now, left alone to deal with missions by herself. With half the Organization gone she doubted they were gonna leave her and Xion on training wheels.

For weeks she stuck to routine. Heartless, heartless, heartless… the more she destroyed, the more hearts she collected, the worse she felt. She didn't know the people these heartless used to be, didn't know what had driven them into darkness… but the freed hearts, the souls left behind… it all left a bunch of unanswered questions she no longer had someone to talk to about, and that just added to the already choking pain she was experiencing.

Xion was busy with his own missions to even show up for ice cream. Roxas was left by herself for the most part, and she didn't care for it. She'd become accustomed to having her friends around, of having that laughter and companionship. She wished, for just one day… she could be with them again.

Today's mission was relatively easy, some bubbles of dark energy had been spotted all across town and she was tasked with eliminating them. She had no problems searching around town and destroying them, and the fact that the mission was in Twilight Town made it easy to wrap things up here quickly and get ice cream straight afterwards.

She shot a fireball at the last blob and let her keyblade phase from her hand. She heard footsteps behind her… and the voice that spoke had her staring stunned speechless.

"Hey, Roxas, it's been awhile!"

Axel strolled up the long hill to her. He took a moment to assess her face. She'd gone pale and those big blue eyes were wide as saucers. He let himself laugh.

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Axel!" She rushed him and hugged him tight. Axel stumbled back, legitimately shocked at her actions.

"Whoa! Easy…"

"I heard… I had heard that everyone at Castle Oblivion had been annihilated!" She pulled back just enough to tilt her face up to his.

"Not me." He grinned and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm tough."

"You had me worried!" The first tear slipped down before she could stop it. Once again Axel look on shocked by this, and he gently cupped her cheek rubbing the tear away.

"Worry? We nobodies don't have the hearts to worry… you know?" He smiled at her, hoping to make those tears stop before they spilled over again. He hugged her again holding her close and just breathing in her scent. Damn he had missed her. "...but, I'm sorry anyway."

"Yeah…" She held on a moment longer before pulling back and letting that free smile spread. "I'll go buy us some ice cream!" She rushed off, the pain and choking sensation released from seeing him, and was replaced by sweet relief and happiness.

They made their way to the top of the clock tower and ate their ice cream slow as to enjoy each other's company as long as possible. Somewhere between the first bite and the second Axel laced his fingers between hers. The movement warmed her and made her smile.

"I missed you."

"Yeah? I told you I'd come back." Axel grinned.

"I know you did… but there's still this… ache whenever you go away. It's been really hard not having you here. When I thought you were gone… I cried."

"You… what?" Axel looked at her shocked. "That's not possible."

"Well I did… I don't know if it's as you and Saix said and I'm just getting memories of what my former self knows… but I don't have memories of my past like that. The only things I have are these sensations I get when I'm around you and Xion."

"Xion?"

"Oh yeah that's right. I started inviting Xion up here. He's my friend too!"

"He? I thought Xion was a girl." Axel let go of her hand long enough to scratch his temple. "I'll have to formally meet him. Still…" He took his free hand and turned her face to his and placed a firm full kiss on her lips.

"You know that your friendship with me is different than his, right? Its special… more intimate."

"Oh… okay… so you don't want him kissing me the way you do. Is that it?" She didn't know why that made her want to smile.

"That's exactly it. If he makes any kind of move on you. I want to know. We'll get along fine so long as that remains clear."

She nearly asked him if he was jealous… but the fact they were nobodies made that seem impossible. Then again everything she was "feeling" was supposed to be impossible.

"Okay. So what should I say if he asks why its different."

"Tell him its because I'm your first friend. And first friends have special privileges."

"Okay...but I'm pretty sure I'm his first friend so…" she laughed as Axel grabbed her by the waist and started tickling her. She laughed so hard her ribs hurt and she fell back on the stones with him panting breathlessly between giggles. "Okay… okay… I get it." She turned in towards him. "i'll tell him you're special to me, because you're the only one I want to be kissed by."

"That's perfect...say it just like that." He stroked her face then held her to him just laying with her in his arms.

"Axel… What are you doing?"

"Its something we special friends liken to call cuddling." He said simply.

"Oh okay…" she paused a moment stroking her hands up his back. "Hey Axel?"

"Hmmm… what?"

"I like cuddling."

~Day 72~

Axel knew he would probably get a lecture for not checking in, but after the adventures in Castle Oblivion he hadn't been up to facing Saix or the Superior. While he had all what he wanted to say written down in his own journal and in the letters he would hand over to Saix, he decided to rerun what he'd seen over in his head.

Number 13, Roxas, the Keyblade's chosen one, was the nobody of Sora. In order to take over Organization 13… Luxiana and Larxene used the powers of the witch Namine to take a part Sora's memories and manipulate her into their puppet. Their plan failed, a combination effort of himself and the young keyblade wielder. All who had betrayed the organization had been eliminated, and the rest were obliterated by the second visitor in Castle Oblivion no one had expected… Riku.

Riku had heard Sora was in the castle, and had made his way up the winding castle, defeating whatever organization member stood in his way. Axel had made sure to steer clear of that one. There was something about Riku chilled his blood, but more he was too focused on Sora. His curiosity in her power and abilities had him looking too deep and seeing too much. Each time he was around her, he felt odd. It was the same with Roxas. He felt compelled to protect and shield them which wasn't in his job description.

He veered off in his thoughts when his door opened, and had to hide a groan when he saw Saix stroll in.

"Why didn't you report in?"

"What, not even one little word of appreciation?" Axel countered, avoiding answering his question,

"All I've heard is that Namine has gone missing."

"There one minute, gone the next. I don't know how she got out." That was half truth. He had an inkling on who was responsible for her disappearance… but seeing as he didn't want to be put in charge of finding her and opening that kettle he bent the truth.

"You know searching every room in that place is impossible." Axel continued when Saix probed further.

"Did you at least find the chamber?"

"Come on, I would have told you that much." The chamber in question was called the Chamber of Awakening. It was a room that held secrets and The Superior was keen on finding what lay hidden inside. Axel had wanted to find it, for his own curiosity of the contents… but for the weeks he was there all he found was room after room of the same white walls and broken memories.

"I gotta hand it to yah, about Luxiana being one of the traitors. You knew exactly what was up from the start."

"I merely sent away those who were getting in the way." Saix said coolly.

"Whoa," Axel whirled and tried to laugh it off. "Was I one of those ones you wanted to erase?"

Their eyes stared for a good few seconds… Saix's bitter and stern face didn't change expression, but something about the eyes pierced Axel making his stomach churn with nerves.

"Good to see you made it back safely." He turned away.

"I disposed of Zexion by the way." Axel admitted, he didn't like having that tension, so he eliminated it by giving Saix exactly what he wanted to hear. Saix had risen in the ranks thanks to the elimination of his superior members. He was getting closer to being more valuable to his lord and leader and would soon be seen as a very valuable asset. When Saix said nothing, and merely walked away Axel frowned and turned his back on the door again.

"I moved things along, just like you wanted." Yet there was no gratitude, no praise… he shouldn't expect or want such things since he was a nobody… but the lack of it annoyed him.

There wasn't much of a punishment as far as his lack of information was concerned. They sent him on a mission with Roxas as a "slap on the wrist," ha jokes on them as he actually liked working with her.

The mission was a simple heart collection that turned into a tailing of a suspicious character. The city of Agrabah itself had originally been closed in by sandstorms, but thanks to a secret passageway they were lead out safely into the desert where they then found a cave shaped like a lion's head.

As they explored the inside, Axel paid attention to Roxas and saw the progress she'd made in ability since he'd been gone. She seemed a lot more calm and focused than the curious girl he'd left behind. She was growing into a strong independent fighter, and he admired it. There was more to her change though… she seemed, happy, cheerful. He'd been attracted to the owlish eyed female he'd left behind, but this new girl, with the quick brilliant smile, and sparkle in her big baby blues… had him by the throat.

He found himself wanting to be closer to her, wanting to spend more and more time with her. The few measly hours they spent on the clocktower eating ice cream just wasn't enough. When they returned to the castle, he stirred restless in his bed and just couldn't find sleep… and hoping to solve the problem he went straight to the source. He opened the door peering inside. Roxas lay on her side facing the window still in her robes but had kicked her shoes off. Her toes wiggled freely and played with the tucked sheet on the end of the bed, and he found himself smiling.

"You awake or do you just fidget in your sleep?" He said softly but caught her attention. Her head jerked up and she looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes blinking sleepily.

"I don't fidget… i just like feeling the fabric on my toes."

"Right…" He saw the shells on the bed, frowned at them. "What're these?"

"Hmmm? Oh they're gifts from Xion. I told you how I'd passed out for several days."

A comment that had twisted his insides.

"Yes."

"Xion would visit me everyday and bring me one from a world he visited." She sat up and picked the last one up. She held it to her ear and closed her eyes hearing the ocean again. "I wonder why he hasn't been by to eat ice cream… I haven't seen him since that day I woke up."

Axel scowled and he picked up the shells setting them in a nice neat line on her desk rather than the bed.

"Since you were out of commission he's probably been working all your missions. He's probably too tired."

"I guess that's true… still I'm awake now… I can handle my own missions. He should be able to come."

"He'll come when he's ready… until then, I'm still here." He sat down beside her and tucked hair behind her ear. "That's good enough right?"

Roxas clutched the shell in her hand, the same sense of worry she'd felt for Axel she now felt for Xion. She looked into Axel's eyes, sighed and smiled. "Yeah… it is."

"Hey, c'mere." He pulled her into his arms and lay down with her on the bed. He stroked her hair and let their legs tangle together. "He's fine. If it helps, I'll help you track him down tomorrow to ease your mind, okay?"

"Promise?" She said sleepily, the soothing sensation of his hand on her hair helping her to drift off.

"I promise…" and this, Axel thought with a soft smile… was what he was missing. He closed his eyes, and easily found sleep himself.


	7. Identity Crisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel and Roxas search for a missin Xion

It had been ten days since Roxas had seen Xion. In fact it had been ten days since ANYONE had seen her. All anyone knew was that Xion was on a mission and hadn't returned. Axel promised her that he would help her find him, and he made good on his promise by setting up the arrangements for the two of them to go off hunting.

According to the mission records Xion was suppose to eliminate a heartless boss in Twilight Town. So they went out, searching through the town, eavesdropping on conversations, or speaking directly to the townsfolk. They kept their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, and found themselves running in circles to the point Roxas wanted to sit on her butt and pout.

On the bright note she finally learned the names of the three friends who were about the same age as her. She'd often find herself staring after them with a kind of wide eyed wonder, and it was because of them that her relationship with Axel had deepened, because she questioned, and grew in curiosity. Hayner, Pence, Olette, those were names she'd remember along with the those of the organization members.

Pence in particular was very helpful. He seemed to have a vast curiosity like she did, and often wandered the town in search of mysteries and wonders. The most recent wonder involving the forest just outside of town near the haunted Mansion. It was said that those that walked there could feel someone or something watching them despite the fact the entire area had been abandoned for years.

"Well it's worth looking into." Axel suggested and pat her shoulder.

It took some time to find the heartless in question. Using it's cloaking ability the chameleon-like creature hid amongst the trees and brush. Roxas' eyes narrowed, and her ears strained around trying to keep track of its movements.

She gasped as she felt the harsh breeze of something rush by her and heard it's footsteps rush out the forest toward the mansion on the outskirts.

"Hurry! Don't let it get away!" Axel told her and the two of them rushed side by side after it. Roxas released her keyblade and rushed straight into battle. The heartless came out of its cloaking form and lashed out at the two of them.

It's large body stretched out with feet and tail. The whipping strike of it knocking the wind out of her lungs. Roxas puffed out a breath and narrowly ducked the second strike of the heartless tail. She raised her blade ready to strike back… and then saw the cloaked figure rushing out from the forest.

"Xion!" Roxas called out. The boy's head snapped up their eyes meeting briefly before the heartless whipped its tail in his direction. The guy was sent skidding across the ground rolling until he lay still.

"Xion!" She cried out again ready to rush over to him.

"Roxas hold on! We gotta beat this thing first!" Axel jumped back setting his chakras ablaze.

"Oh! Right!" She raised her keyblade up again. Joining together the two of them managed to take down the oversized chameleon, Axel roasting the carcass and Roxas striking her blade true to release the heart. She watched it rise up and be swallowed by the black to be collected. With the job finished Roxas ran to her fallen friend. She knelt by him lifting his head up and patting his cheek.

"Xion! Xion wake up!" She shook him slightly making him groan and slowly opened his eyes. For a moment his features seemed to change. It caught her by the throat as that muscular build seemed to go thin and elegant like a female. Those blue eyes stayed as they were but his hair went long over the shoulders in curtains and his cheeks with sharp feminine cheekbones. She shook her head blinking in surprise but then saw him as she always had.

"Roxas?" Xion groaned and sat up rubbing his head.

"Are you hurt?" She helped him up so he stood over her now. Axel remained silent behind her simply staring with intense concentration.

"No, just my pride." He let out a pathetic laugh. "I failed the mission."

"No, the heartless is down, it doesn't matter who takes it out so long as it's done, right?" She hugged him briefly but long enough to have his body tensed up. "You're okay, and that's what counts."

"Roxas…" He lowered his head. "I don't know… if I'm really okay."

"Why? What happened Xion?"

Axel pat her shoulder pulling her back some.

"Easy… for now let's return to the castle. We'll report in and get ice cream then Xion can tell us the whole story."

~The Tower~

Xion stared down at his melting ice cream. The blue treat didn't look as appealing as it had before. The past few days had been difficult and soured his mood. He glanced over at Roxas, watching her lick her treat and smile at Axel. Their closeness, and Roxas' happiness at being near Axel, left him feeling… alone.

"Xion?" Roxas waved a hand in front of his eyes snapping him from his angry thoughts. "Are you okay. What exactly happened? What's been going on with you lately?"

"I…" He grit his teeth and looked down at his melting ice cream. "I can't use the keyblade anymore."

"Huh?" Roxas stare stunned for a moment. " You can't use the Keyblade? Why not? What happened to you?"

"I don't know… but without it I can't do my job." Xion closed his eyes and gripped the stick of his ice cream tightly in hand. "Without the keyblade I defeat the heartless in one place and they just pop up in another. If I can't collect the hearts… I'll be useless."

Roxas' eyes went sad and sympathetic and she glanced back at Axel.

"Is there anything you can do, Axel?" She asked him, pleading with those big blue eyes.

"I wish there was… but it's just like she said." Axel started to point out and noticed the odd look on Roxas' face. "What?"

"She?" she looked back at Xion who remained stoic in the face "Aren't you a boy?"

"I think so." Xion shrugged. "What's the difference?"

"Huh?" Axel blinked then realized his mistake. "Oh… sorry it's a bit complicated. I'll explain it to you later. At any rate what Xion is saying is right. Without the keyblade he can't collect hearts. Once the superior and the others realize that, they're more than likely going to turn him into a dusk."

"We can't do anything to help?" Roxas held her stomach feeling it twist and wretch at the thought.

"Well, there's nothing I can do but-" Axel shifted his gaze to her and smiled. "There is something you can do for him, Roxas."

"Really?" Her eyes brightened. "What can I do?"

"You can work double duty… Xion, make sure your missions are with Roxas from now on. The two of you can go out on the mission together, he collects the hearts and no one will know that you can't use the keyblade."

"That's it!" Roxas jumped and hugged him her ice cream falling off the stick but she didn't care. "Axel you're a genius!"

"Whoa! Watch it…" Axel complained when he nearly lost ice cream too. "Don't get too excited now. Remember that doing double duty means you'll have to collect twice as many hearts."

"No worries, I can do it!" She turned to Xion who looked surprised and alarmed by this.

"Y-you sure?"

"Friends need to lean on each other now and again," Axel explained and wrapped an arm around Roxas. "Ain't that right, Roxie?"

"Yeah, just leave it to me. I'll take care of it until you can use the keyblade again."

"Friends… does that mean you and I are friends too, Axel?" Xion asked.

"Well yeah, If you're friends with Roxas…" He rubbed Roxas' shoulder gripping it a little possessively before letting go. "Then of course you're my friend."

Xion stared at the man, his blue eyes wide and his smile slowly spreading across his young handsome face. Axel blinked a little in surprise as the female he'd seen before began to blur and shift to the male form before going back to the female. Huh… interesting.

"Thank you, Roxas, Axel."

~Later at the Castle~

"Double Duty huh?" Roxas sighed as her and Axel curled up for the night. "I guess I'll be working overtime for awhile."

"I'd like to go with you, but we can't have three people on a mission. Saix would never go for it. It's bad enough we had to chase after Xion today. Still we can meet up for Ice Cream when you're up to it, and we always have this." He stroked a hand down her hair and back.

"Yeah…" She smiled. "We do." She blushed a little and closed her eyes at the touch. "I wonder what the others would say to us about sharing a bed together."

"Saix might be perturbed by it, but I doubt the other would really care. They all prefer to keep to themselves." Then again… Axel mused. Luxiana and Vexen had been bed mates a time or two. That had been before their relationship soured. Axel referred to it as a relationship because no one else really seemed to be in agreement about what it should be called. Vexen called it an experiment, Luxiana called it a source of entertainment…and Saix called it a distraction. Which is exactly how he would term Axel's "relationship" with Roxas.

"At any rate, it's none of their business anyway what we do outside of our missions, right?"

"Right." She smiled up at him and snuggled in closer. "Mmmm… so how come you called Xion a she? You never explained that to me."

"Oh… well you see when I inquired about Xion, Saix said that he has a unique power that disguises his form. He appears differently depending on the person who's looking at him."

"So… whoever looks at him sees what they want to?" Roxas raised a curious brow.

"Not quite the right description but close enough. Xion's appearance is based on their relationship with him, and how they interact with him. I'm not entirely sure how it works in his case… I just know that when I saw him, it wasn't what you saw."

"What I see," Roxas narrowed her eyes a bit. "What I see is a boy. He's around the same age as me… black hair, blue eyes, shorter than you but taller than me. He seems… familiar somehow."

"Not surprising." Axel murmured letting his eyes droop and the rough day taking its toll.

"Hmmm… when you look at Xion...what do you see?" She lifted her head to stare into his sleepy face.

"I see…" He paused, his fingers running through her hair once. "I see you."

"Huh?" Roxas' eyes go wide. "Me?"

"Sort of… you look like twins… only she has black hair." He explained. He wouldn't point out that it was that black hair that also had him thinking of Sora. The three of them were all melded together in his brain.

"So you see a girl, that's why you call him a she." She sighed a bit remembering the few moments after the fight. "I think I saw it too for a moment… it was just a flash but I could see the female face and form. It didn't click that Xion and I look alike." She bit her lip thinking about that. "Hey what if… Axel?"

She lifted her head, and found he was asleep; his eyes closed and his hands still around her. She sighed again and tucked her tongue in her cheek.

"Guess I'll worry about it later." She closed her eyes and let herself fall to sleep… before she dreamed, she wondered what was this nasty tangle in her belly was… and why it appeared at the prospect of Xion… a female Xion... getting closer to Axel.

"Goodnight, Axel."

~Day 75~

Roxas and Xion's first mission together was to the dessert city Agrabah. They not only had to collect hearts, but also fully explore the cave in which she and Axel had discovered before. While Xion couldn't use the keyblade, he was helpful with battles, eliminating the sudden plethora of heartless that decided to pop up out of nowhere.

The cave itself was massive, with all manner of hidden doors, secret latches, and treasure chests. For some reason Roxas felt as if theyt were being followed and occasionally looked over her shoulder trying to figure out where the sensation was coming from.

"You alright, Roxas?" Xion asked when she stopped suddenly.

"Y-Yeah, just can't seem to shake this inkling that someone's watching us." She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to rid the spine tingling sensation. "Let's keep going."

"Alright… though I think we've been through the majority of the cavern already." He explained and examined a device on a wall. "Though everytime I think we're done… a new door opens."

The device shifted and started to turn and another gate opens and he laughs a bit.

"See what I mean?"

"Yeah, it may take some time to fully explore this place, but on the bright side there's plenty of heartless around, which means plenty of hearts to reach our quota." She stepped through the gate into a dark room.

"We reached our quote a hundred heartless ago, Roxas. I think you've swung your keyblade enough for both of us today. You're gonna tire yourself out. Remember it wasn't all that long ago you were on in a sick bed."

"Ah don't worry about me, I'm fine. I could do this all day!" She swung her blade around to prove it and gave him a wink. Xion laughed, and gasped touching his mouth.

"Whoa, where'd that come from?"

"You must be in a good mood." Roxas deduced.

"We don't have moods, Roxas," Xion reminded her. "We're-"

"Yeah, yeah I know, we're nobodies… man I'm so sick of hearing that. So what if we don't have hearts? So what if we're not real people? That's all going to change eventually. That's what we're here collecting hearts for, isn't it?. So why can't we act like we do have them, why can't we just… go with it?"

"Roxas…" Xion blinked in surprise at her tirade and Roxas sighed heavily holding her chest.

"Sorry… I don't know where that came from. I've been… off lately." She rubbed her stomach. She tensed a bit when she felt Xion's hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him.

"Don't apologize… You're not wrong, after all. These sensations you're getting… I've been getting them too. I don't know how to explain it, and for the most part I've just been ignoring them, because it's just easier to deal with it that way… but I know when I'm around you, and now Axel, the sensations get stronger, and I don't think I can just ignore them anymore."

"You're right." She smiled softly. "I'm the same… and I think that's why I snapped just not. The reason I've been off is because I keep trying to control what's inside me, instead of just letting it out. From now on I'm just going to act like I do have a heart, I'm going to watch all the people and learn from them. Maybe that's the real key to getting hearts of our own."

"If you think it'll work, then I say we try it. In fact there's something I've been wanting to try." Xion held up a pinky and Roxas raised a brow at it. "I saw those kids in Twilight Town do this. They called it a pinky promise." He hooked his pinky around hers… for a moment Roxas saw Xion change again, a girl again and a smile as warm as the sun and eyes crystal blue.

"Oh uh… what's it for?" She stared at their linked pinkies with a small blush.

"From what I understand, it's a pact. You promise each other something, and the linked pinkies is how you signify it."

"Oh… okay… well then I promise I'll help you learn to use the keyblade again. I promise I won't let you turn into a dusk!"

"Alright… and I promise to work hard and not slow you down." He paused and looked into her eyes, saw the wide curious gaze in them. "I promise to always be your friend."

"Huh?" Her eyes went a bit wide at that and then softened with a smile. "I promise that too… we'll always be friends."

~Later~

After finishing the mission and having ice cream Roxas went back to her room. She thought of everything she went through and wrote it down in her journal. For a moment she paused and lifted up her pinky. She replayed the conversation she'd had with Axel and Xion… about Best friends… and what it meant to be inseparable.

"We're friends… but what makes someone a best friend I wonder." She pulled her legs up to her chest still staring at the pinky. "Being close… even when you're far a part… what's the link that holds best friends together?"

"So long as they think about me from time to time… then our hearts will be one."

Roxas gasped and her hands dropped to her side and she clutched her felt a pounding there, painful and sharp and continued to hear the echoes of that voice.

"My friends are my power!"

Roxas rolled onto her side holding her head, panting and shuddering as the pain started to increase… but as quickly as it came it quickly subsided. She took long deep breaths, a sheen of sweat forming on her skin and she slowly released her head, shaking like a leaf.

"W-What… what was that?"

~Castle Oblivion~

Namine stared up at Sora as she floated in the glass bubble. Her eyes sad and worried for the girl. She hoped she could piece together the memories quickly… the sooner Sora was back to her normal self again, the better off they all would be.

"How long will it take?"

Namine turned at the voice and looked to Riku who stood in his new black hood that allowed him to travel through doorways of darkness without damage to his body. His choice to straddle the lanes between had given him a new confidence in his ability, and allowed him to forge a new path for himself.

"I'm not entirely sure. Really it all depends on Sora." She turned her eyes up to the girl once more. "Sora… and those who hold pieces of her. She's incomplete, not just because of her disconnected memories… but because of the other fragments of her who wander the worlds with their own purposes."

"Sora's nobody…" Riku deduced and got a nod from Namine.

"I'm going to piece together the parts that I have… but without Roxas, Sora cannot be complete. When the time comes, she'll either have to succumb to her willingly… or be destroyed."

"Diz told you this?"

"Yes… and I know which way Sora would prefer. She has a gentle and welcoming heart. I only hope Roxas can remember enough of her to see that… and accept it." She turned to Riku now her eyes full of sadness. "We nobodies were never meant to exist… but that doesn't stop us from trying. When the time comes Riku, Sora may need your help to be complete."

"When the time comes." Riku formed his blade in hand and lifted it up to eye level. "I'll be there for her."


	8. Experimental Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas starts to feel odd as she tries to help Xion use his keyblade again...

Kingdom Hearts…

The great big heart shaped moon in the sky was awed by everyone in the organization. Even though Roxas and Xion didn't understand why, the importance of this phenomenon was all too apparent. They were the keys to Kingdom Hearts, the driving force that collected the source of power needed to complete it.

...except Xion couldn't use his keyblade.

Mission after Mission the two of them went out together. Roxas defeated the heartless, collecting twice the amount of hearts she'd done before. Xion was helpful with crowd control. When it seemed like she was surrounded or the heartless too powerful, the two worked together to defeat the large masses that would suddenly pop up out of nowhere. Still without his keyblade Xion could do little to help the progress of the mission.

"I feel so useless…" Xion sighed staring down at his hands. "You're working so hard, Roxas, but I-"

"Don't get yourself down, Xion. You just need to keep trying. Here." She crossed to him letting her blade form in her hand. Stepping behind him she put the blade in his hand and forced him to grip it tight. "Get the feel of it again… grip it tight and close your eyes. Remember what it was like, remember the sensation of the power flowing through you."

Xion blushed bright red, his hand gripping tight, but when he closed his eyes all he could feel was Roxas pressed up on him, warm and… inviting.

"R-Roxas…"

"Hmm?" She let go and the blade faded. She walked around to face him fully. "You okay, Xion?"

"Y-Yeah… our mission is done let's RTC and go see Axel." He cleared his throat and hurried to the warp gate. Her brow rose a little but she followed him anyway. By the time they got to Twilight Town Axel was already there waiting for them. Roxas took her spot in the middle, her hand brushing Axel's as they sat close together. Xion scooted a little closer and took the ice cream he was offered.

"Thanks."

"Any progress?" Axel asked the two.

"Not really… and I can tell Saix is getting impatient with us." Xion sighed. "We won't be able to keep up the charade much longer. Both Saix and the superior look anxious to complete our objective."

"All this fighting…" Roxas sighed heavily. Something about the past few days left her weary. "I wonder what it's for."

"Come one, you know what it's for. We have to complete the great Kingdom Hearts." Axel answered.

"Kingdom Hearts…" Roxas said with a frown. "Just what is it?"

"It's the gathering place of hearts isn't it?" Xion affirmed.

"Yeah, it's where the hearts go when you release them." Axel continued the explanation. "When we collect enough, we might finally get hearts of our own."

"Hearts shall be made our own…" Xion repeated the Superior's words. Roxas scowled down at her ice cream.

"Is Kingdom Hearts… really that important?"

"What are you crazy?" Axel looked at her surprised.

"I just… I just don't see why having a heart is really that important." What was the difference, she wondered to herself. She looked down at the kids below running and playing. What made her any different then them?

"You're questioning that now?"

"I don't understand, because I don't have a heart." She bit into her ice cream and sighed heavily.

"Roxas…" Xion shared a look of concern with Axel, the two of them both worried where this line of thinking would get her.

"We'll find out once we have hearts." Axel stroked her back earning a soft smile. "That's why we fight, to find out what it's all about."

"Okay…" She nodded. "I guess you're right."

The sun finished setting and the three of them returned to the castle. Roxas and Axel went to his room and lay down on the bed curling up together. Axel stroked fingers through her hair. She was awfully quiet today… and what she'd brought up at the tower was disconcerting.

"Something happen I should know about?" He asked her.

"Hmmm?" She lifted her head up.

"You've been acting a little strange since the Superior brought us all together for the revealing of Kingdom Hearts. Then you said all that stuff atop the tower today." He caressed her cheek now. "I'm just wondering, is all."

"I'm not entirely sure… everytime I think about Kingdom Hearts there's this…" She sat up and pushed a fist into her gut. "Ache right here… kinda makes me want to throw up."

"Well that can't be good." He sat up with her.

"I don't understand, Axel. What makes us so different from those with hearts? We can do everything they can… but we just don't have the hearts. What are hearts for?"

"I don't have all the answers for you, Roxas. I wish I did. The whole reason the organization even exists is to explore the mysteries of the heart."

"So when we do have hearts… what then? What happens when the organization completes their mission? What'll happen to us?" She let him pull her back to him. She tucked her head comfortingly under his chin and closed her eyes. "I don't… have anywhere else to go. You and Xion...this castle… my missions… they're all I have."

"I don't know what'll happen once we do have hearts… but I promise you this." He pulled back and cupped her face. "No matter what happens, you'll always have me. I won't leave you hanging."

"Axel…" Her eyes went wet and her smile was soft and appreciative. "You promise?"

"I promise… I'll always be here for you." He kissed her sweet and soft and she slipped right into the comfort of it.

~Day 95~

The day's mission in Agrabah had gone smoothly. The three friends gathered together on the tower once more and the topic of the varying personalities of the organization's members came up.

"It looks like everyone in the organization is good at different things…" Roxas leaned back on her hands kicking her feet back and forth. She'd devoured today's ice cream, and now just relaxed between her two close friends.

"That's right, everybody's unique." Axel nodded biting into the last bit of his ice cream.

"Even nobodies without hearts?" Xion questioned.

"Yep.. just because we don't have hearts, doesn't mean we're all exactly the same. Take you for example Xion. You're unique because of your ambiguity. Your appearance, and voice differs depending on who you're communicating with."

"I guess so, though that part still confuses me. I only ever see one face when I look in the mirror." Xion told them.

"That's because you're looking at yourself, and seeing what you want. It's the same concept to everyone else."

"So then… how do you see me, Axel?"

"He sees a girl…" Roxas said with a laugh. "Apparently to him we look like twins."

"Twins?" He looked Roxas up and down… and for a moment Roxas saw the form change… the male form softening and filling out to female and the hair growing longer and flowing black and curly down her back. Roxas felt a bit of unease at the sight and quickly looked back to Axel.

"I wonder why we're all so different. The dusks all seem to have similar forms and powers but we don't." Roxas wondered.

"The member of the organization are different then the dusks and other normal nobodies. We all have memories of our past." Axel explained tapping his temple. "It's what makes us special. We remember what we were like when we were human."

"...but…" Roxas sat up straight looking a bit sad. "I don't."

"Me neither…" Xion agreed.

"Maybe that's what makes you the most unique in the organization." Axel commented meaning it to be more of a tease than a serious comment.

"Hmmm…" Roxas pouted… but then curiosity got the better of her. She glanced up at Axel. "What were you like before you were a nobody?"

"Me?" Surprised by the question Axel rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I suppose I've always been pretty much the same."

"I wish I could remember stuff like that… the only inkling I have are these… sensations I get when I'm around you guys. At least that's what Saix says. I'm feeling all these emotions not because I have a heart… but because I remember what my heart would feel. It sounds so… complicated."

"I get those sensations too…" Xion agreed. "It's always when I'm with you two. I like it, even if I don't understand it." His eyes traveled up to Axel. "Do you feel that way too, Axel?"

"Let's not get into that. Let's just enjoy the time we have together, alright?"

"Oh well now you've got me curious." She teased.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Roxie. Better stick to defeating heartless than asking all these questions." He warned.

"I know but…" Her face went serious. "I honestly want to remember more. I don't have any memories, even from when I was born a nobody."

"All you did was stare into space." Axel teased and Roxas nudged him with her elbow.

"Oh thanks!" She laughed when Axel ruffled her hair. Xion laughed too and pat Roxas' shoulder.

"Don't feel too bad, Roxas… I don't remember much of my past either." Xion put in.

"You two sure do have a lot in common." Axel said with some irritation. Why their commonality irritated him he wasn't entirely sure. Deciding he didn't want to think too much on it he stood up. "Come on, let's head back." He walked away. Xion helped Roxas up and the two of them followed behind him.

"Now I'm the one that's curious…" Xion decided with a small laugh. "Do you think he feels the same way we do."

"I don't have to think…" Roxas said with a gentle smile. She stared at Axel's strong back, and watched every little movement of his body as if to memorize it. "I know he does."

~Day 96~

The jig was up… Roxas wasn't sure if Saix had caught on or if he really was trying to pass out multiple missions, but today he wanted her and Xion separated. Though their protested the guy remained unmoving… until Axel had stuck his neck out.

"You're not gonna send Roxas by herself to Beast's Castle, are you? I was just there yesterday, I saw the heartless and question and I doubt she can handle it alone. You're better off sending both of them."

"If I do that then who's going to handle the heartless in Agrabah?" Saix complained narrowing his eyes on Axel's smirk.

"I will!" Axel beat a fist on his chest. "I'll keep things from going haywire while the two of them take on Beast's Castle, and then Roxas can complete the mission tomorrow."

"Hmmph… very well. Be warned though, this is your last mission together. From here on out the two of you will be working separately." He told them then allowed them into the portal. He then looked to Axel. "Don't think for a minute that little I believed that."

"Believed what?" Axel asked innocently.

"That reprehensible performance…" he said with a growl.

"I don't know what you mean." Axel laughed and shrugged it off. "Whelp, I better get going to Agrabah." He opened the portal himself and exited.

~Beast's Castle~

"Looks like we owe Axel one…" Roxas commented as they stepped out of the portal and into the dungeons of the castle. She glanced back at Xion who sighed heavily. "You okay?"

"I just… I don't know what I'm gonna do starting tomorrow." He looked at his hand trying to get the keyblade to appear but shook his head. "It's no use."

"Don't give up, Xion… here." She let her keyblade form. "Try and use mine… You held it alright before, so maybe if you remember how to wield it like this it'll help you remember."

"Alright…" Xion eyed the blade in his hand swinging it around smoothly. "...but what are you gonna use?"

"Oh I'll be fine…" Roxas looked around for a weapon and found a big sturdy stick and waved it around. "I'll just improvise."

"Roxas…" Xion said trying to stifle a laugh. "That's a stick."

"Hey," with some sass she cocked a hip out holding the stick out to him. "You've managed without the keyblade this far, you don't think I'm up to it?"

Xion couldn't help it. He laughed and shook his head.

"Far be it from me to stop you. Alright… let's find this heartless!" he held up the blade in both hands and took a deep long breath. He would remember… he had to remember, for both of their sakes.

They explored the castle grounds.. Sneaking past the servants and defeating the smaller heartless as they went along. Despite Roxas only having a stick for a weapon she managed to beat back a good chunk of the enemies. It helped that they both had magics they could use to eliminate the more troublesome heartless.

He had to admit, feeling the keyblade in his hand, fighting with it… was helping him get into the feel of the fight. He hadn't held a keyblade in so long that he worried he'd lose his edge… but the abilities and skills he'd picked up before came rushing back to him with ease.

As they walked into the ballroom their target appeared. The large dog shaped heartless barking and snarling threateningly at them.

"Here we go… you ready?" Roxas held the stick her eyes set.

"Yeah, let's do this!" Xion rushed forward. The blade beat back the beastly creature and the power inside him grew. He was remembering, he could actually feel the power in him returning. It was working!

"You're finally here Sora…"

The voice, and memory rushed through Xion so fast he had to gasp. He miscalculated and the beast sent him flying across the ballroom floor. Roxas' keyblade fell out of his hands and skidded across the floor to her.

"XION!" Roxas picked up the blade to rush in to help but she was too far away. The heartless leapt up to attack him. "LOOK OUT!"

Xion looked up… fear came first but then determination took over.

"I need to take back what belongs to me! Let the keyblade choose… ITS TRUE MASTER!"

He held out his hand calling forth the power… and his blade reappeared. As the heartless leapt on him he slice his blade clean through its body and released the heart from the vanishing mass of darkness.

"Xion!" Roxas rushed forward and leapt up wrapping her arms around him. "You did it! You've got your keyblade back!"

"Y-yeah… I did." He panted a bit looking at his blade then down at the girl hugging him tight. For a minute he forgot who he was, what he was doing. Then he held out the keyblade behind her back and remembered. "I remember."

"I'm so glad! Now things can go back to normal!" She lifted her head up smiling. "You don't have to worry anymore."

"I don't…" He let the blade fade and stepped into Roxas once more hugging her tightly. "I don't have to worry. Thank you, Roxas."

"Hehe, You're welcome." She closed her eyes. "I'm just happy you're back to normal."

"Yeah…" His eyes went distant a moment as another memory flashed. He saw a man, silver hair, cerulean eyes, and a wicked smile. His head bent down to kiss the girl, and collect his reward.

"You did well to protect yourself Sora… now you just leave everything to me."

"Roxas…"

"Yeah?" Roxas tilted her face up and found herself being kissed. Her eyes went wide and her body still. For a moment she too felt herself remembering.

I love you… Sora.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stepped back from the kiss holding her chest as it ached and throbbed. She felt herself getting dizzy, felt her face go hot and she did the only thing that came to mind.

She ran away.


End file.
